Driving a vehicle is a very serious responsibility. The responsibility of many lives rests in the hands of that driver. Nowadays, many drivers do not think that the responsibility of innocent children and adults on a bus is in the hands of the driver. They sit in the driver’s seat with the expectation of chasing money, and today it is common to see them racing without thinking of the lives of the passengers even an iota. Thousands of lives are lost in our country every year due to such careless driving accidents. Parents lose their children; children lose their parents, relatives and friends are lost in such accidents. No matter how strict the traffic rules are, if there is no discipline in the drivers, it will be of no use.
A group of students from Thurston College, Colombo, were returning from an educational trip to Nuwara Eliya when a bus collided with a three wheeler and a van at the Radella Nanu Oya shortcut. It was revealed that the bus driver’s excessive speed was the cause of the accident. The bus with 45 school students went to a cliff because of a driver who drove without any driving discipline. Although there was no danger to the people traveling in the bus, seven lives were lost. Those travelled in the van and the three-wheeler that collided with the bus.
Among the persons who died in this way are two girls aged 8 and 12, a 19-year-old boy, two people aged 26 and 27, and a 43-year-old woman. 6 people traveling in the van and the driver of the three-wheeler were killed. 41 students, two teachers and three parents were also injured in this accident caused by a careless bus driver. The cause of this accident as known by all was the high speed and careless driving of the bus driver. Locals also said that the road is a narrow road that vehicles cannot travel at high speed, so the possibility of such accidents occurring is high. However, if that driver had been more concerned about his responsibility and the lives of his children, all the seven dead innocents would still be alive today.
Thus, even though accidents and mistakes by drivers are reported day by day, the good deeds done by drivers reported are very less. Also, it seems that many media are hesitant to evaluate the good deeds that are reported in this way. On the morning of the 30th, we heard news about a gallant man who saved 60 precious lives in such a background. He is a driver of a CTB bus. Due to the failure of the brakes of the bus he was driving from Badulla to Colombo near Beragala area of Haputale, he could prevent a major accident due to the skill and wisdom of this driver.
The driver was able to stop the bus, when brakes were failing, and leaned the bus on to a bank on to the right side of the road, saving the lives of all the passengers. If he had not halted the bus in this manner, the bus would have almost certainly rolled over a cliff several hundred feet to the left of the road. The driver who saved the lives of the passengers by doing this heroic act was Mr.D.M. Priyantha who was attached to Badulla depot.
Mr. Kirti Bandara Padmasiri, who was attached to the Bandarawela Depot, had worked to prevent a similar accident that happened in the year 2017 in the Viharagala area of Beragala, where this accident took place. Although Mr. Keerthi Bandara Padmasiri lost his life there, none of the passengers were harmed due to the selflessness of the driver.
The bus traveling on the steep road had a similar accident due to brake failure, and the driver Mr. Keerthi Bandara had stopped the bus by making it hit an earth mound on the right side of the road. At that moment, 23 passengers were traveling in the bus. The driver who saved the lives of all those people sacrificed his life for them by demonstrating the duty of a self-sacrificing and talented driver. Indeed, we should consider him as a Godly person on earth. We must appreciate such drivers who saved the lives of other passengers without even thinking about their own lives.
However, the bus driver who saved the passengers from the bus accident that happened on the 30th, D.M. Mr. Priyantha described the incident in this way.
There were nearly 60 people on the bus with children. There were brakes when going downhill. When I put my foot on the brake pandle in the upper bend, it went down to the foot. The conductor was with me at that time. I slowly told him about this. Because did not want to panic passengers, I didn’t say it out loud. The conductor also told me to touch the right side. Seven or eight vehicles came in front. I avoided those vehicles and touched the dam without even thinking about me. The front wheel dragged and went into the ditch and stopped. Looking later, no one had got scratched. It hit my leg on to something and it made me shiver….’
Hold on tight. This driver saved the lives of sixty people by saying, “I will stop the bus somehow…” by showing his skills as a driver.
It was a happy moment thanks to this humanity and driving talent blend with sheer presence of mind. Drivers with this kind of heart are very rare in this society. In such cases, people act selfishly. Selfless drivers among such people are an asset to the country.
Most of the drivers are chasing behind rupees and cents. Buses are not maintained properly. That is why they face such accidents. Among the many undisciplined drivers, we do not hesitate to appreciate such drivers in ‘mawrata’. We should venerate such people with hearts filled with humanity. Must protect, should be appreciated. We should bow down to such noble people.
Driving a vehicle is a very serious responsibility. The responsibility of many lives rests in the hands of that driver. Nowadays, many drivers do not think that the responsibility of innocent children and adults on a bus is in the hands of the driver. They sit in the driver’s seat with the expectation of chasing money, and today it is common to see them racing without thinking of the lives of the passengers even an iota. Thousands of lives are lost in our country every year due to such careless driving accidents. Parents lose their children; children lose their parents, relatives and friends are lost in such accidents. No matter how strict the traffic rules are, if there is no discipline in the drivers, it will be of no use.
A group of students from Thurston College, Colombo, were returning from an educational trip to Nuwara Eliya when a bus collided with a three wheeler and a van at the Radella Nanu Oya shortcut. It was revealed that the bus driver’s excessive speed was the cause of the accident. The bus with 45 school students went to a cliff because of a driver who drove without any driving discipline. Although there was no danger to the people traveling in the bus, seven lives were lost. Those travelled in the van and the three-wheeler that collided with the bus.
Among the persons who died in this way are two girls aged 8 and 12, a 19-year-old boy, two people aged 26 and 27, and a 43-year-old woman. 6 people traveling in the van and the driver of the three-wheeler were killed. 41 students, two teachers and three parents were also injured in this accident caused by a careless bus driver. The cause of this accident as known by all was the high speed and careless driving of the bus driver. Locals also said that the road is a narrow road that vehicles cannot travel at high speed, so the possibility of such accidents occurring is high. However, if that driver had been more concerned about his responsibility and the lives of his children, all the seven dead innocents would still be alive today.
Thus, even though accidents and mistakes by drivers are reported day by day, the good deeds done by drivers reported are very less. Also, it seems that many media are hesitant to evaluate the good deeds that are reported in this way. On the morning of the 30th, we heard news about a gallant man who saved 60 precious lives in such a background. He is a driver of a CTB bus. Due to the failure of the brakes of the bus he was driving from Badulla to Colombo near Beragala area of Haputale, he could prevent a major accident due to the skill and wisdom of this driver.
The driver was able to stop the bus, when brakes were failing, and leaned the bus on to a bank on to the right side of the road, saving the lives of all the passengers. If he had not halted the bus in this manner, the bus would have almost certainly rolled over a cliff several hundred feet to the left of the road. The driver who saved the lives of the passengers by doing this heroic act was Mr.D.M. Priyantha who was attached to Badulla depot.
Mr. Kirti Bandara Padmasiri, who was attached to the Bandarawela Depot, had worked to prevent a similar accident that happened in the year 2017 in the Viharagala area of Beragala, where this accident took place. Although Mr. Keerthi Bandara Padmasiri lost his life there, none of the passengers were harmed due to the selflessness of the driver.
The bus traveling on the steep road had a similar accident due to brake failure, and the driver Mr. Keerthi Bandara had stopped the bus by making it hit an earth mound on the right side of the road. At that moment, 23 passengers were traveling in the bus. The driver who saved the lives of all those people sacrificed his life for them by demonstrating the duty of a self-sacrificing and talented driver. Indeed, we should consider him as a Godly person on earth. We must appreciate such drivers who saved the lives of other passengers without even thinking about their own lives.
However, the bus driver who saved the passengers from the bus accident that happened on the 30th, D.M. Mr. Priyantha described the incident in this way.
The brakes were on even when bus was going downhill. There is a big bend at Viharagala. At that turn, I put my foot on the brake, but the brake did not grip. The paddle went down to the board. Now I thought what to do. Thinking to save lives, without even thinking about myself, I saved all the vehicles coming in front and drove the bus on to the dam. Anyway, the bus stopped when the two tires fell into the ditch. No one was hurt. No one was even scratched. My foot hit the steering wheel. It’s got little bruised, that’s all.
There is no damage to the bus either. This is really the best experience I have had in my 12 years of CTB life. I am really happy to save these people’s lives. I have done it. The little ones were next to me. No one was harmed or got scraped. If the bus had gone down the precipice, it would have gone down a cliff of about 5000 feet…’
There were nearly 60 people on the bus with children. There were brakes when going downhill. When I put my foot on the brake pandle in the upper bend, it went down to the foot. The conductor was with me at that time. I slowly told him about this. Because did not want to panic passengers, I didn’t say it out loud. The conductor also told me to touch the right side. Seven or eight vehicles came in front. I avoided those vehicles and touched the dam without even thinking about me. The front wheel dragged and went into the ditch and stopped. Looking later, no one had got scratched. It hit my leg on to something and it made me shiver….’
Hold on tight. This driver saved the lives of sixty people by saying, “I will stop the bus somehow…” by showing his skills as a driver.
It was a happy moment thanks to this humanity and driving talent blend with sheer presence of mind. Drivers with this kind of heart are very rare in this society. In such cases, people act selfishly. Selfless drivers among such people are an asset to the country.
Most of the drivers are chasing behind rupees and cents. Buses are not maintained properly. That is why they face such accidents. Among the many undisciplined drivers, we do not hesitate to appreciate such drivers in ‘mawrata’. We should venerate such people with hearts filled with humanity. Must protect, should be appreciated. We should bow down to such noble people.
